Railway Cars Manufactured With Self Piercing Rivets

ABSTRACT

Railway cars are provided with sidewalls having an optimum number of support posts formed from a first material such as, but not limited to, steel and an optimum number of support posts formed from a second material such as, but not limited to, aluminum to optimize empty car weight and service of life of each railway car. Endwall assemblies, roof assemblies, floor assemblies and other components associated with a railway car may be fabricated from different types of material and an optimum number of supporting structures to reduce manufacturing cost, reduce repair costs, increase service life and increase load carrying capacity. Self piercing rivets may be used to attach two or more layers of material, particularly two or more layers of dissimilar materials. The use of self piercing rivets may also reduce manufacturing and repair costs, increase service life and load carrying capacity of a railway car.

RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application No. 60/752,328 entitled “Railway Cars Manufactured with Self Piercing Rivets” filed Dec. 20, 2005, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is related to copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/371,982 filed Mar. 9, 2006 which claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/662,687, filed Mar. 17, 2005, and entitled “Railway Cars with Combined Material Structures and Method.”

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure is related in general to railway cars having side sheets, side stakes and other components attached with each other using self piercing rivets.

BACKGROUND ART SECTION

Railway cars are often used to transport bulk commodities and raw materials. It is generally desirable to use railway cars which have relatively large load carrying capacity and relatively low costs to manufacture and maintain during the operating life of such railway cars. Also, railways cars must be designed to meet various government regulatory standards and industry operating standards. For example, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) has established standardized operating envelopes which define maximum allowed exterior dimensions for a wide variety of railway cars. Many advances have been made with respect to making railway cars stronger and lighter with larger cargo volume and greater load carrying capacity and at the same time being easier to manufacture and maintain. However, the search continues for improved railway cars that are even more efficient and cost effective over the entire life cycle of each railway car.

Hopper cars and gondola cars are often used to transport a wide variety of goods and materials such as bulk commodities, corn, wheat, soybeans, etc. and raw materials (coal, iron ore and other minerals). Gondola cars typically have a pair of sidewalls, a pair of endwalls, a solid floor and no roof. Hopper cars may be either open or covered depending upon the type of lading which will be carried within each hopper car. A typical hopper car includes floor sheets which are sloped from the sides and the ends of the car to form a series of pockets or hoppers with openings to allow discharge of associated lading.

Increased volume and load carrying capacity of a railway car may often be achieved by minimizing the thickness of associated sidewalls and endwalls as long as the sidewalls and endwalls provide sufficient strength and durability for the associated lading. Side posts or side stakes are often provided to stiffen sidewalls to help carry lateral loads and beam loads. The side posts may function as load bearing members to support associated lading being transported by the railway car and may also provide protection for and support associated side sheets during unloading of the railway car. Railway cars such as hopper cars and gondola cars generally have numerous side stakes spaced from each other extending along opposite sides of the respective car to provide such support.

Various welding techniques and procedures are often used to attach side sheets and support posts with each other. Without careful quality control weld distortions may occur in side sheets, particularly thin side sheets. Also, welding dissimilar metals such as aluminum with steel may often be difficult. Mechanical fasteners such as threaded bolts, nuts, washers and screws have been used to attach side sheets with support posts. The cost and time required to drill and align matching holes in respective side sheets and support posts may be significant.

SUMMARY OF SOME EMBODIMENTS

In accordance with teachings of the present disclosure, a railway car may be formed using self piercing rivets to attach side sheets and side stakes with each other to substantially reduce or eliminate disadvantages and problems associated with previous railway cars. Self piercing rivets may also be used in accordance with teachings of the present disclosure to attach end sheets, floor panels and roof panels with associated supporting structures. One aspect of the present disclosure may include forming a railway car with at least one sidewall have side sheets attached to a plurality of side stakes or support posts using self piercing rivets. The side stakes may be spaced from each other along the length of the railway car.

Another aspect of the present disclosure may include using self piercing rivets to attach aluminum sheets to aluminum support posts, steel sheets to steel support posts, aluminum sheets to steel support posts and steel sheets to aluminum support posts. The use of self piercing rivets to attach metal sheets with metal supporting structures in accordance with teachings of the present disclosure may eliminate or substantially reduce distortions associated with welding metal sheets with metal supporting structures.

Technical benefits of the present disclosure may include, but are not limited to, reducing the cost and time required to attach metal sheets with supporting structures as compared with typical welding procedures used to form railway cars. The use of self piercing rivets to attach metal sheets with supporting structures in accordance with teachings of the present disclosure may also provide increased fatigue resistance and/or crack resistance as compared with welding the metal sheet to the supporting structure. Weld distortion of metal sheets (particularly thin metal sheets) may be reduced by using self piercing rivets which may improve the quality and may lower costs of manufacturing a railway car. The use of self piercing rivets in accordance with teachings of the present disclosure will generally eliminate the need for drilling and matching holes in metal sheets and associated supporting structures which may lower the cost of fabricating a railway car.

Another aspect of the present disclosure may include selecting self piercing rivets having a length which is less than the combined thickness of respective layers of a metal sheet and associated supporting structure which will be attached to each other by the self piercing rivets. As a result, the self piercing rivets will generally not fully penetrate both the metal sheet and adjacent portions of the supporting structure to form a more secure, watertight connection between the metal sheet and associated supporting structure.

The use of self piercing rivets in accordance with teachings of the present disclosure may allow manufacture and assembly of railway cars from dissimilar metals such as aluminum support posts and steel side sheets or steel support posts and aluminum side sheets. Typical welding techniques associated with manufacture and assembly of railway cars may not be satisfactory for use in forming railway cars from such dissimilar materials.

Technical advantages of the present disclosure may include optimizing the number of side posts and materials used to form each side post and associated side sheets to reduce manufacturing costs and repair costs and to increase load carrying capacity and operating life of an associated railway car. The number of end beams and materials used to form each end beam and associated end sheets may also be optimized to reduce manufacturing costs and repair costs and to increase load carrying capacity and operating life of the associated railway car. For example, aluminum side sheets may be attached with both aluminum support posts and steel support posts. Steel and other types of metal side sheets may be attached with both aluminum support posts and steel support posts. The number of aluminum support posts and the number of steel support posts may be varied in accordance with teachings of the present disclosure to optimize manufacturing costs, repair costs, load carrying capacity and service life of the associated railway car. Various welding procedures and/or mechanical fasteners may be used as appropriate to fabricate an associated railway car. Various aspects of the present disclosure may be satisfactorily used with box cars, insulated box cars, gondola cars, covered hopper cars, open hopper cars or any other railway car having metal sheets or metal panels attached to associated supporting structures.

The present disclosure may allow forming railway cars without side stakes or support posts. For example, on or more layers of adhesive material may be disposed between overlapping portions of two adjacent side sheets. One or more rows of self piercing rivets may then be inserted into the overlapping portions of the side sheets. The resulting joint may provide structural strength comparable with attaching the same side sheets to a support post but without the added weight of a support post. For some applications, a railway car body may be formed with alternating joints of side sheets attached to a conventional support post and side sheets attached to each other using only layers of adhesive material and self piercing rivets. The use of adhesive layers may also provide substantially water tight joints.

The present disclosure may allow adjusting the thickness of associated metal sheets and the number and thickness of side posts or other supporting structures to optimize the interior volume of an associated car body while providing the desired strength and load carrying capability for the associated railway car. The present disclosure is not limited to using only self piercing rivets to attach metal sheets with a metal supporting structure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A more complete and thorough understanding of the present embodiments and advantages thereof may be acquired by referring to the following descriptions taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numbers indicate like features, and wherein:

FIG. 1A is a schematic drawing in elevation showing an isometric view of a railway car having at least one sidewall assembly incorporating teachings of the present disclosure;

FIG. 1B is a schematic drawing in section with portions broken away taken along lines 1B-1B of FIG. 1A;

FIG. 2A is a schematic drawing in elevation showing an isometric view of another railway car having at least one sidewall assembly incorporating teachings of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2B is a schematic drawing in section with portions broken away taken along lines 2B-2B of FIG. 2A;

FIG. 3A is a schematic drawing in section with portions broken away showing one example of a self piercing rivet engaging a metal sheet with portions of a supporting structure in accordance with teachings of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3B is a schematic drawing in section with portions broken away showing another example of a self piercing rivet engaging a metal sheet with portions of a supporting structure in accordance with teachings of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a schematic drawing in elevation showing another example of a railway car having at least one sidewall assembly with interior side stakes incorporating teachings of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a schematic drawing in section with portions broken away taken along lines 5-5 of FIG. 4; and

FIG. 6 is a schematic drawing in section with portions broken away showing a sidewall assembly with exterior side stakes incorporating teachings of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SOME EMBODIMENTS

Preferred embodiments of the disclosure and its advantages are best understood by reference to FIGS. 1A-6 wherein like number refer to same and like parts.

The term “steel” may be used in this application to describe any steel alloy or any steel based material satisfactory for use in fabricating a railway car.

The term “aluminum” may be used in this application to describe any aluminum alloy or any aluminum based material satisfactory for use in fabricating a railway car.

The terms “side stake,” “side post” and “support post” may be used in this application to describe any supporting structure operable to support side sheets of a sidewall or sidewall assembly.

The term “supporting structure” may also be used in this application to describe support posts, end beams, roof supports, floor supports and/or portions of a railway car underframe associated with sidewall assemblies, endwall assemblies, roof assemblies and/or floor assemblies of a railway car.

The term “metal sheet” may be used in this application to describe a sheet of aluminum, steel or any other metal satisfactory for use in forming side sheets, end sheets, floor panels, roof panels and/or any other component associated with a railway car.

The term “self piercing rivet” may be used in this application to describe any rivet or similar mechanical fastener which may be used to join two layers of material by driving one end of the rivet through a first layer and upsetting the one end of the rivet in the second layer without fully penetrating or piercing the second layer of material. Some self piercing rivets may be used to join or attach more than two layers of material. Typically, the deformed end or upset end of a self piercing rivet will remain encapsulated or enclosed within a protrusion of the second layer of material. See for example protrusion 282 a in FIG. 3A, protrusion 282 b in FIG. 3B and protrusions 382 in FIGS. 5 and 6.

For some applications, metal sheets may be attached to supporting structures using various types of self piercing rivets. Self piercing rivets may be formed from various types of metals including, but not limited to, aluminum alloys and steel alloys. Self piercing rivets may also be coated with a wide variety of materials. For example, steel self piercing rivets may be coated with zinc and aluminum flakes using inorganic binder. See U.S. Pat. No. 6,833,164. Examples of such self piercing rivets 200 a and 200 b are shown in more detail in FIGS. 3A and 3B. Self piercing rivets may be obtained from various sources including, but not limited to, Doidge Fastening, Ltd. located in London, England and Emhart Tecknolgies, a Black & Decker Company located in Shelton Conn.

Various aspects of the present disclosure may be described with respect to open top railway cars such as gondola cars and/or hopper cars and box cars or freight cars. Examples of such railway cars are shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,209,166, entitled Aerodynamic Self Cleaning Hopper Car; U.S. Pat. No. 4,348,962, entitled Railway Hopper Car Bolster Assembly; U.S. Pat. No. 4,633,787 entitled Light Weight Gondola Type Railway Car; U.S. Pat. No. 3,844,229, entitled Railway Hopper Car End Structure Assembly; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,786,764, entitled Rapid Discharge Hopper Car.

Various aspects of the present disclosure may also be used to form other types of railway cars including, but not limited to, covered hopper cars, tank cars and insulated box cars. However, the teachings of the present disclosure may be used with a wide variety of railway cars and is not limited to railway cars 20, 120 or 300.

Various aspects of the present disclosure may be described with respect to attaching a first metal layer with a second metal layer. However, teachings of the present disclosure may be used to attach more than two layers of material with each other. For example, one or more layers of nonmetallic material (not expressly shown) may be disposed between two layers of metallic material and attached with each other using self piercing rivets. Also, one or more layers of nonmetallic material may be attached to a single layer of metallic material using self piercing rivets.

Various features or characteristics of self piercing rivets used to attach a first layer of material with a second layer of material may be modified in accordance with teachings of the present disclosure. For example, self piercing rivets used to attach a first layer of aluminum with a second layer of aluminum may have a first value of strength or stiffness. Self piercing rivets used to attach a first layer of aluminum with a second layer of steel may have a second value of strength or stiffness which is greater than the value of strength or stiffness of rivets used to attach two layers of aluminum with each other. Self piercing rivets used to attach a layer of nonmetallic material with a layer of metallic material may have a relatively large first end or head to provide a larger clamping area to resist pulling the rivet through the layer of nonmetallic material.

For some applications, railway car underframes 30, 130 and 330, which will be discussed later in more detail, may be manufactured from steel alloys. Portions of car bodies 40, 140 and 340, which will be discussed later in more detail, may be manufactured from aluminum alloys and steel alloys. Various components of both railway car underframes 30, 130 and 330 and car bodies 40, 140 and 340 may also be satisfactorily formed from various metallic materials, nonmetallic materials, fiber reinforced plastic materials, cermets, and composites of these materials as desired.

Fabricating a railway car with sidewalls or sidewall assemblies, endwalls or endwall assemblies, a floor or floor assemblies and/or a roof or roof assembly and associated supporting structures from materials selected in accordance with teachings of the present disclosure may allow reducing manufacturing and repair costs while at the same time increasing load carrying capacity and service life of the associated railway car. The use of self piercing rivets in accordance with teachings of the present disclosure may allow selecting various combinations of materials which would normally not be used in the manufacture of a railway car and may also result in reducing costs associated with both manufacture and repair of such railway cars. However, welding techniques and other types of mechanical fasteners may also be used.

FIG. 1A shows railway car 20, which may be used for shipment of coal, having a pair of sidewall assemblies incorporating various teachings of the present disclosure. Both sidewall assemblies may have substantially the same general configurations and design as sidewall assembly 50 shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B. Railway car 20 may be generally described as an open top gondola car or a rotary dump coal car. For purposes of explaining various features of the present disclosure, reference will be made primarily to sidewall assembly 50.

FIG. 1B shows an enlarged view of a cross section of sidewall assembly 50 associated with side stakes 80 a and 80 s and adjacent portion of associated side sheets 70. However, the present disclosure allows forming side stakes and side sheets with a wide variety of cross sections.

For some applications railway car 20 includes a railway car underframe indicated generally at 30 with car body 40 mounted thereon. Car body 40 may be formed by a pair of sidewall assemblies, a pair of endwall assemblies (not expressly shown) and floor assembly 90 which includes a pair of tubs 92 extending below and generally parallel with center sill 34. Car body 40 may also include a plurality of cross ties and/or diagonal braces (not expressly shown) disposed between interior surfaces 58 of sidewall assemblies 50. Various types of brackets (not expressly shown) may be used to attach the cross ties and diagonal braces with associated portions of interior surfaces 58.

Railway car underframe 30 may be attached to and mounted on first truck assembly 31 adjacent to first end 21 of railway car 20. Railway car underframe 30 may also be attached to and mounted on second truck assembly 32 adjacent to second end 22 of railway car 20. Various types of commercially available railway car underframes and railway truck assemblies may be satisfactorily used with the present disclosure. Railway car underframe 30 may include center sill 34, a pair of side sills 36, a pair of end sills (not expressly shown), cross bearers (not expressly shown), cross ties (not expressly shown), body bolsters (not expressly shown) and other supporting structures associated with a railway car underframe.

Car body 40 may include a pair of sidewall assemblies 50 which extend generally parallel with each other along opposite longitudinal edges of railway car underframe 30. Each sidewall assembly 50 may include respective lower edge 52 and upper edge 54. Sidewall assemblies 50 may are also be defined in part by exterior surface 56 and interior surface 58. For some applications, sidewall assemblies 50 may be formed from a plurality of generally rectangular metal sheets 70 which may be attached to each other and support posts 80 using various types of mechanical fasteners and/or welding techniques. Various types of self piercing rivets including, but not limited to, self piercing rivets 200 may also be used to attach metal sheets 70 with support posts 80. Some examples of self piercing rivets are shown in more detail in FIGS. 3A, 3B, 5 and 6.

The arrangement of metal sheets 70 and support posts 80 may be modified depending upon the desired configuration of the resulting sidewall assembly. Metal sheets 70 and support posts 80 may cooperate with each other to form exterior surface 56 and interior surface 58 of sidewall assemblies 50.

Lower edges 52 of respective sidewall assemblies 50 may be attached to adjacent portions of railway car underframe 30. For some applications, railway car underframe 30 may have a generally rectangular configuration defined in part by a pair of side sills 24. Lower edges 52 of respective sidewall assemblies 50 may be attached to respective side sills 24 of railway car underframe 30.

Railway car 20 may include a plurality of side posts or side stakes 80 a and 80 s which are spaced longitudinally from each other along respective exterior surfaces 56 of sidewall assemblies 50. For some applications side stakes 80 a may be formed from aluminum alloys and side stakes 80 s may be formed from steel alloys.

Support posts 80 a and 80 s may have substantially similar configurations and dimensions. For example, supports posts 80 a and 80 s may be described as having generally hat-shaped configurations defined in part by web 82 with legs 83 and 84 extending therefrom. Respective flanges 85 and 86 may be attached to and extend from legs 83 and 84 opposite from web 82. For some applications, legs 83 and 84 may extend from associated web 82 at approximately a right angle such that web 82 and associated legs 83 and 84 may be described as forming a generally C-shaped cross section. Flanges 85 and 86 may form portions of a first surface or interior surface on each support post 80 a and 80 s for attachment of associated metal sheets 70 thereto.

For some applications, side posts 80 a and side sheets 70 may be formed from the same aluminum based material. For other applications, side posts 80 s and side sheets 70 may be formed from the same steel based material. For still other applications, railway car 20 may be formed with only side posts 80 a and side sheets 70 formed from the same aluminum based material. Alternatively, railway car 20 may be formed with only side posts 80 s and side sheets 70 formed from the same steel based material.

As shown in FIG. 1A, top chord 60 may be attached along upper edge 54 of each sidewall assembly 50. Each top chord 60 may include an elongated hollow beam or tube (not expressly shown). Top chords having cross sections with various configurations may also be satisfactorily used with the present disclosure. Top chord 60 may extend substantially along the full length of respective sidewall assemblies 50. A plurality of mechanical fasteners including, but not limited to, self piercing rivets may be used to attach each top chord 60 (not expressly shown) with adjacent portions of associated sidewall assemblies 50.

Various types of mechanical fasteners such as nuts, bolts, screws, drive bolts, blind rivets, and other fasteners may be satisfactorily used with the present disclosure. Some examples of such fasteners are available from Huck International, Inc. located at 6 Thomas, Irvine, Calif. 92718-2585. Power tools satisfactory for installing such fasteners are also available from Huck International and other vendors. For some applications various welding techniques may also be used to satisfactorily attach respective top chord 60 with upper edges 57 of sidewall assemblies 50. Also, a combination of welding techniques and mechanical fasteners may also be satisfactorily used.

FIG. 2A shows railway car 120, which may be used for shipment of coal, having a pair of sidewall assemblies incorporating various teachings of the present disclosure. Both sidewall assemblies may have substantially similar configurations and design as sidewall assembly 150 shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B. Railway car 120 may be generally described as an open top, bottom dump hopper car.

FIG. 2B shows an enlarged view of a cross section of sidewall assembly 150 with side stakes 180 a and 180 s and adjacent portions of associated side sheets 170. However, the present disclosure allows forming side stakes and side sheets with a wide variety of cross sections.

For some applications railway car 120 may include railway car underframe 130 with car body 140 mounted thereon. Car body 140 may be formed by a pair of sidewall assemblies, a pair of endwall assemblies (not expressly shown) and floor assembly 190. Car body 140 may also include a plurality of cross ties and/or diagonal braces (not expressly shown) disposed between interior surfaces 158 of sidewall assemblies 150. Various types of brackets (not expressly shown) may be used to attach the cross ties and diagonal braces with associated portions of interior surfaces 158.

Railway car underframe 130 may be attached to and mounted on first truck assembly 131 adjacent to first end 121 of railway car 120. Railway car underframe 130 may also be attached to and mounted on second truck assembly 132 adjacent to second end 122 of railway car 120. Railway car underframe 130 may include center sill 134, a pair of side sills 136, a pair of end sills (not expressly shown), cross bearers (not expressly shown), cross ties (not expressly shown), body bolsters (not expressly shown) and other supporting structures associated with a railway car underframe.

Railway car 120 may include a plurality of transfer ridges or slope sheets 144 which extend laterally across the floor of car body 140. Transfer ridges 144 may be sloped to direct coal or other lading toward associated discharge door assembly 138. Each discharge door assembly 138 may be mounted adjacent to a respective opening in floor assembly 190. Discharge door assemblies 138 allow the discharge of bulk lading such as coal by gravity through the respective opening in floor assembly 140.

Each discharge door assembly 138 may be disposed adjacent to respective slope sheets 144. Slope sheets 144 may be inclined at an angle of approximately forty-five degrees (45°) with respect to the top plane of railway car underframe 30. For some applications, partitions (not expressly shown) may be provided within car body 140 to separate adjacent rapid discharge door assemblies. For some applications, discharge door assemblies 138 may be automatically opened while railway car 20 is in motion to reduce unloading time. Such railway cars may sometimes referred to as rapid discharge cars. Various components of floor assembly 190 and discharge door assemblies 138 may be formed by using self piercing rivets in accordance with teachings of the present disclosure.

Car body 140 may include a pair of sidewall assemblies 150 which extend generally parallel with each other along opposite longitudinal edges of railway car underframe 130. Each sidewall assembly 150 may include respective lower edges 152 and upper edge 154. Sidewall assemblies 150 may also be defined in part by exterior surface 156 and interior surface 58. For some applications, sidewall assemblies 150 may be formed from a plurality of generally rectangular metal sheets 170 which may be attached to each other and support posts 180 using various types of mechanical fasteners and/or welding techniques. Various types of self piercing rivets including, but not limited to, self piercing rivets 200 may also be used to attach metal sheets 170 with support posts 180. Examples of such self piercing rivets are shown in more detail in FIGS. 3A, 3B and 5.

The arrangement of metal sheets 170 and support posts 180 may be modified depending upon the desired configuration of the resulting sidewall assembly 150. Metal sheets 170 and support posts 180 may cooperate with each other to form exterior surface 156 and interior surface 158 of sidewall assemblies 150.

Lower edges 152 of respective sidewall assemblies 150 may be attached to adjacent portions of railway car underframe 130. For some applications, railway car underframe 130 may have a generally rectangular configuration defined in part by a pair of side sills 124. Longitudinal edges 152 of respective sidewall assemblies 150 may be attached to respective side sills 124 of railway car underframe 130.

Railway car 120 may include a plurality of side posts or side stakes 180 a and 180 s which are spaced longitudinally from each other along respective exterior surfaces of sidewall assemblies 150. For some applications, side stakes 180 a may be formed from aluminum alloys and side stakes 180 s may be formed from steel alloys.

Support posts 180 a and 180 s may have substantially similar configurations and dimensions. For example, support posts 180 a and 180 s may be described as having generally hat-shaped configurations defined in part by web 182 with legs 183 and 184 extending therefrom. Respective flanges 185 and 186 may be attached to and extend from legs 183 and 184 opposite from web 182. For some applications, legs 183 and 184 may extend from associated web 182 at an acute angle such that web 182 and associated legs 183 and 184 may be described as forming a generally trapezoidal cross section. Flanges 185 and 186 may form portions of a first surface or interior surface on each support post 80 a and 80 s for attachment of associated metal sheets 70 thereto.

For some applications, side posts 180 a and side sheets 170 may be formed from the same aluminum based material. For other applications, side posts 180 s and side sheets 170 may be formed from the same steel based material. For still other applications, railway car 120 may be formed with only side posts 180 a and side sheets 170 formed from the same aluminum based material. Alternatively, railway car 120 may be formed with only side posts 180 s and side sheets 170 formed from the same steel based material.

As shown in FIG. 2A, top chord 160 may be attached with upper edge 154 of each sidewall assembly 150. Each top chord 160 may have various configurations and dimensions. For example, each top chord 160 may have similar dimensions and configurations as previously described with respect to top chord 60. Each top chord 160 may also be attached with associated sidewall assemblies 150 as previously described with respect to top chord 60.

Attaching one or more metal sheets or layers of other types of material with supporting structures in accordance with teachings of the present disclosure may be generally described as a cold forming process. During the process, two or more layers of material may be joined or attached to each other by driving respective self piercing rivets through at least one layer and into an adjacent layer without completely piercing the adjacent layer. For embodiments such as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, a plurality of self piercing rivets 200 may be satisfactorily used to engage respective portions of side sheets 70 with adjacent portions of support posts 80 a and 80 s. As shown in FIG. 1B, one row of self piercing rivets 200 may be engaged with flange 86 of each support post 80 a and 80 s. Another row of self piercing rivets 200 may be engaged with flange 85 of each support post 80 a and 80 s.

For some applications, self piercing riveting machines have been developed which may form joints between two layers of material in a relatively short time period as compared with conventional welding processes or conventional mechanical fasteners such as nuts, bolts, screws and/or Huck® type fasteners. A self piercing riveting system may be mounted on an automated robot or other types of automated fixtures (not expressly shown) which may substantially reduce the time required to fabricate sidewall assemblies, endwall assemblies, floor assemblies, roof assemblies or any other portions of a railway car formed in accordance with teachings of the present disclosure. For some applications, an automated riveting system may insert the required number of self piercing rivets 200 in sidewall assembly 50 in a single pass over side sheets 70 and support posts 80 a and 80 s.

Since self piercing rivets may be installed relatively quickly between a first layer of material and a second layer of material, a relatively large quantity of self piercing rivets 200 may be used to form sidewall assembly 50 may provide substantially the same or even greater strength as compared with welding side sheets 70 with support posts 80 a and/or 80 s. The self piercing rivets 200 may be installed in less time and at less cost as compared with many conventional welding procedures associated with fabrication of coal cars, hopper cars and other types of railway cars.

For embodiments such as shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, a plurality of rows of self piercing rivets 200 may be used to engage respective portions of side sheets 170 with adjacent portions of support posts 180 a and 180 s. As shown in FIG. 2B, one row of self piercing rivets 200 may be engaged with flange 186 of each support post 180 s and 180 a. Another row of self piercing rivets 200 may be engaged with flange 185 of each support post 180 a and 180 s.

Various aspects of the present disclosure may be described with respect to metal sheet or first layer 270 and adjacent portion 285 of supporting structure 280 as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B. First layer or metal sheet 270 may represent a side sheet, end sheet, floor panel roof panel or any other component car body associated with a railway car formed in accordance with teachings of the present invention. Supporting structure 280 may represent a side post or side stake, an end beam, a cross tie, a cross bearer, side sill or any other portion of a railway car underframe satisfactory for use in supporting a floor assembly, endwall assembly or sidewall assembly.

Metal sheet 270 and supporting structure 280 may be portions of a roof assembly. Supporting structure 280 may represent portions of a top chord or other supporting structure used to attach a roof assembly with a railway car body. Supporting structure 280 may be a top chord, carline or any other supporting structure satisfactory for engaging a roof panel or roof assembly with a railway car body in accordance with teachings of the present disclosure.

Self piercing rivet 200 a as shown in FIG. 3A may include first end or head 201 a and second end 202 a. Generally hollow cylindrical shank 204 may extend between first end 201 a and second end 202 a. Shank 204 may have a generally hollow cylindrical configuration prior to inserting self piercing rivet 200 a into two or more layers of material. For some applications, second end 202 a may be described as having a generally annular or circular configuration prior to inserting self piercing rivet 200 a into two or more layers of material.

Various types of riveting machines including high speed automated riveting machines (not expressly shown) may be satisfactorily used to insert self piercing rivet 200 a into first layer or metal sheet 270 and second layer or adjacent portion 285 of supporting structure 280. After insertion into layers 270 and 285, second end 202 a of self piercing rivet 200 a will generally be flared outward to securely engage layer 270 and layer 285 with each other.

Second end 202 a of self piercing rivet 200 a will preferably be contained within or sealed within protrusion 282 a extending from second layer 285 opposite from first layer 270. As previously noted, encapsulating or retaining second end 202 a of self piercing rivet 200 a within protrusion 282 a may increase the watertight integrity associated with the attachment or connection between layer 270 and 285. Flaring end 202 a outwardly may substantially increase clamping forces with which self piercing rivet 200 a engages layer 270 and layer 285 with each other.

Self piercing rivet 200 b as shown in FIG. 3B may include first end or countersunk head 201 b and second end 202 b. Generally hollow shank 204 may extend between first end 201 b and second end 202 b. Self piercing rivet 200 b may have a similar configuration and dimensions as previously described for self piercing rivet 200 a except for countersunk head 201 b. As previously noted, various types of riveting machines including high speed automated riveting machines may be satisfactorily used to insert self piercing rivets 200 a into first layer 270 and second layer 285.

Self piercing rivets formed from various aluminum alloys or steel alloys may be used to attach aluminum side sheets with each other and with aluminum support posts. Various coatings may be placed on such self piercing rivets.

Self piercing rivets formed from various steel alloys may be used to attach steel side sheets with each other and with steel support posts. Self piercing rivets formed from various steel alloys may also be used to attach aluminum side sheets with steel support posts, steel side sheets with aluminum support posts and aluminum side sheets with steel side sheets. Various coatings may be placed on such self piercing rivets.

For some applications, self piercing rivet 200 b may be preferable for use in forming coal cars or other railway cars exposed to harsh environments. Since head 200 b is generally flush with adjacent portions of layer 270 as shown in FIG. 3B, the resulting interior surface 258 b will be relatively smooth as compared with interior surface 58 as shown in FIG. 1B or interior surface 158 as shown in FIG. 2B. Recessing or countersinking head 201 b may substantially reduce or eliminate potential problems associated with water freezing around head 201 b.

Some coal cars and open hopper cars formed with conventional rivets and/or mechanical fasteners may experience problems associated with water freezing around exposed heads of such conventional rivets and/or bolts. Recessing head 201 b of rivet 200 b within layer 270 may substantially reduce or eliminate opportunities for such freezing of water. Protrusion 282 b covering second end 202 b of self piercing rivet 200 b may also help to eliminate or substantially reduce problems associated with water freezing between associated joints or connections.

For purposes of illustration, sidewall assemblies 50 and 150 may be formed from a single, generally rectangular, flat sheet of metal. For many applications, sidewall assemblies 50 and 150 may be formed from sheets of aluminum alloys satisfactorily for carrying coal or similar types of lading. Aluminum sheets are generally available in nominal widths of approximately ninety-six inches (96″). Since the height of sidewalls 50 and 150 may generally be greater than ninety-six inches (96″), typically two or more metal sheets must be attached with each other to form sidewall assemblies 50 and 150. One or more rows of self piercing rivets (not expressly shown) may also then be inserted in overlapping portions of the aluminum sheets.

FIG. 4 shows railway car 320, which may be generally described as a box car or uninsulated freight car having a pair of sidewall assemblies incorporating various teachings of the present disclosure. Railway car 320 may also be described as having interior side stakes or support posts. Both sidewall assemblies may have substantially similar configurations and features which may be described with respect to sidewall assembly 350.

For some applications, railway car 320 may include railway car underframe 330 with car body 340 mounted thereon. Car body 340 may be formed by a pair of sidewall assemblies, a pair of endwall assemblies (not expressly shown), roof assembly and a floor assembly (not expressly shown). Each sidewall assembly 350 may include an opening with door 338 slidably disposed thereon. Each door 338 may have a first, open position which allows access to the interior of car body 340 through an associated opening. Each door 338 may also have a second, closed position which blocks access through the associated opening to the interior of car body 340.

Lower edges 352 of respective sidewall assemblies 350 may be attached to adjacent portions of railway car underframe 330. For some applications, railway car underframe 330 may have a generally rectangular configuration defined in part by a pair of side sills 324. Longitudinal edges 352 of respective side sill assemblies may be attached to respective side sills 324 of railway car underframe 330. Roof assembly 370 may be attached with the upper edge 354 of each sidewall assembly 350.

Railway car underframe 330 may be attached to and mounted on first truck assembly 331 adjacent to first end 321 of railway car 320. Railway car underframe 330 may also be attached to and mounted on second truck assembly 332 adjacent to second end 122 of railway car 320. Railway car underframe 330 may include a center sill (not expressly shown), a pair of side sills 336, a pair of end sills (not expressly shown), cross bearers (not expressly shown), cross ties (not expressly shown), body bolsters (not expressly shown), longitudinal stringers (not expressly shown) and other supporting structures associated with a railway car underframe.

Car body 140 may include a pair of sidewall assemblies 350 which extend generally parallel with each other along opposite longitudinal edges of railway car underframe 330. Each sidewall assembly 350 may include respective longitudinal edges 352 and 354.

FIG. 5 shows an enlarged cross section of sidewall assembly 350 with side stake or support post 380 disposed on interior surface 358 of side sheet 360. For some applications, each sidewall assembly 350 may be formed from a plurality of generally rectangular side sheets 360 which may be attached to each other and associated support posts 380 using various types of mechanical fasteners (not expressly shown) and/or welding techniques (not expressly shown). Various types of self piercing rivets including, but not limited to, self piercing rivets 200 b may also be used to attach side sheets 360 with respective side stakes 380. The arrangement of side sheets 360 and support posts 380 may be modified depending upon desired configurations and dimensions of the resulting sidewall assembly 350. However, the present disclosure is not limited to railway cars having sidewall assembly 350, side sheets 360, or support posts 380.

Railway car 320 may include a plurality of support posts or side stakes 380 which are spaced longitudinally from each other along respective interior surface 358 of each sidewall assembly 350. For some applications, side stakes 380 may be formed from aluminum alloys and/or steel alloys as previously described with respect to sidewall assemblies 50 and 150. Alternating aluminum support posts and steel support posts as previously described with respect to sidewall assemblies 50 and 150 may increase the load carrying capacity and reduce the empty car weight of railway car 320.

Support posts 380 may be described as having a generally hat-shaped configuration defined in part by web 382 with legs 383 and 384 extending therefrom. For some applications, legs 383 and 384 may extend from associated web 382 at approximately a right angle. Web 382 and associated legs 383 and 384 may sometimes be described as forming a generally C-shaped cross section. Respective flanges 385 and 386 may be attached to and extend from legs 383 and 384 opposite from web 382.

For embodiments such as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, interior surface 358 of side sheets 360 may be attached with the first surface of each support post 380 defined in part by associated flanges 385 and 386. As a result, web 382 and associated legs 383 and 384 of each support post 380 will project towards the interior of car body 340. For embodiments represented by FIGS. 4 and 5 railway car 320 may be generally described as having “interior side stakes” which are not generally visible when viewing sidewall assemblies 350 from the exterior of railway car 320.

For some applications, first row 391 of self piercing rivets 200 a may be used to attach each side sheet 360 with flange 368 of associated support posts 380. Second row 292 of self piercing rivets 200 b may be used to attach each side sheet 360 with flange 358 of associated support posts 380. Countersunk or recessed head 201 b of each self piercing rivet 200 b may be disposed on exterior portions of railway car body 340. Associated protrusions 382 will be disposed on interior portions of railway car body 340. For some applications, side sheets 360 may include precoated exterior surface 356 and/or interior surface 358.

FIG. 6 is a schematic drawing in section showing portions of a sidewall assembly incorporating teachings of the present disclosure. The sidewall assembly may include a plurality of side stakes or support posts 380 disposed on exterior surface 356 of associated side sheets 360. For embodiments such as shown in FIG. 6, countersunk head 201 b may be disposed on the interior of an associated railway car body. Associated protrusions 382 may be disposed on exterior portions of the railway car body. However, the present disclosure allows forming side stakes and side sheets associated with boxcars and freight cars having a wide variety of cross sections and configurations.

For some embodiments, one or more cavities 310 may be formed in each side sheet 360 proximate at least one support post 380. For some applications, four or five cavities 310 may be formed in a row (not expressly shown) extending from proximate lower end 352 to proximate upper edge 354 of the sidewall assembly adjacent to associated support posts 380. Various components of a load restraint system (not expressly shown) may be attached with each cavity 310. For example, portions of tie down anchor such as “dog bone” or anchor bar (not expressly shown) may be welded or otherwise disposed in each cavity 310.

As shown by dotted line in FIGS. 5 and 6, one or more support posts 380 may be formed with flange 385 a extending from associated leg 383 by a greater distance than associated flange 386 extends from leg 384. The resulting increased width of flange 385 a may be designed to accommodate two rows 392 and 393 of self piercing rivets as compared with installing only one row of self piercing rivets in flange 386. For some applications, one out of every three or four support posts 380 may include flange 385 a having an increased width to accommodate forming a joint or connection between adjacent side sheets 360 and 360 a such as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6.

The increased width of flange 385 a may be selected to accommodate installing second row 392 of self piercing rivets 200 b in adjacent portions of side sheet 360 and third row 393 of self piercing rivets 200 b in adjacent portions of side sheet 360 a. Rows 392 and 393 may extend generally parallel with each other between an upper edge and a lower edge of the sidewall assembly. The increased width of flange 385 a accommodates attaching adjacent side sheets 360 and 360 a proximate or abutting each other as represented by joint 361. Flange 385 a cooperates with rows 392 and 393 of self piercing rivets 200 b to help form a more fluid-tight or leak resistant joint between adjacent side sheets 360 and 360 a, particularly since end 202 b of each self piercing rivet 200 b remains encapsulated or enclosed within respective protrusion 382.

By manufacturing substantially the same type of railway car with sidewalls incorporating teachings of the present disclosure, the interior cubic capacity of a resulting railway car may be increased from approximately 4200 cubic feet to approximately 4270 cubic feet. Manufacturing costs may also be reduced and service life of the associated railway car may be increased.

Typical Specifications for an Open Top Rotary Dump Coal Car

Length, Inside 47′-3″ Width, Inside 10′-1⅜″ Length Over Coupler Pulling Faces 53′-0½″ Length Over Strikers 50′-5″ Length Between Truck Center 40′-6″ Width, Extreme 10′-7 15/16″ Height, Extreme 13′-3¾″ Estimated Lightweight 50,500 lbs. Estimated Load Limit-Based on 286,000 lbs. 235,500 lbs. G.R.L. Gross Rail Load 286,000 lbs. Cubic Capacity 4200 cu. ft. Cubic Capacity-With 10″ Heap 4598 cu. ft. Center of Gravity 39.0″ Empty Car Loaded to 286,000 lbs. G.R.L. 87.6″ Level Full Loaded to 286,000 lbs. G.R.L. 95.0″ with 10″ Heap

Although some embodiments of the present disclosure and their advantages have been described in detail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions and alternations can be made herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure as defined by the following claims. 

1. A railway car having a railway car underframe and at least one sidewall assembly comprising: the railway car underframe having a first longitudinal edge and a second longitudinal edge with the at least one sidewall assembly disposed along one of the longitudinal edges of the railway car underframe; the at least one sidewall assembly formed in part from a plurality of side sheets and a plurality of support posts; one end of each support post attached to the one longitudinal edge of the railway car underframe; the side sheets formed from materials selected from the group consisting of aluminum and steel; the support posts formed from materials selected from the group consisting of aluminum and steel; and a plurality of self piercing rivets attaching the side sheets with the support posts.
 2. The railway car of claim 1 selected from the group consisting of gondola cars, open hopper cars, closed hopper cars, rotary dump coal cars, box cars and insulated box cars.
 3. The railway car of claim 1 further comprising: a first sidewall assembly disposed on the first longitudinal edge of the railway car underframe; a second sidewall assembly disposed on the second longitudinal edge of the railway car underframe; each sidewall assembly formed from a plurality of aluminum side sheets; at least one support post formed from aluminum; and at least one support post formed from steel.
 4. The railway car of claim 1 further comprising: a first sidewall assembly disposed on the first longitudinal edge of the railway car underframe; a second sidewall assembly disposed on the second longitudinal edge of the railway car underframe; each sidewall assembly formed from a plurality of steel side sheets; at least one support post formed from steel; and at least one support post formed from aluminum.
 5. The railway car of claim 1 wherein the sidewall assembly further comprises: each side sheet having an interior surface and an exterior surface; each support post having a first surface and a second surface; and a plurality of self piercing rivets attaching the first surface of each support post with adjacent portions of the interior surface of the associated side sheet.
 6. The railway car of claim 1 further comprising: the support posts spaced from each other along the associated sidewall assembly; and approximately an equal number of the support posts formed from steel and approximately an equal number of support posts formed from aluminum.
 7. The railway car of claim 6 further comprising the steel support posts and the aluminum support posts arranged in an alternating pattern extending along the associated sidewall assembly.
 8. The railway car of claim 1 further comprising the number of steel support posts and the number of aluminum support posts optimized to reduce empty weight of the railway car and increase load carrying capacity of the railway car.
 9. A railway car having a railway car underframe and at least one sidewall assembly comprising: the railway car underframe having a first longitudinal edge and a second longitudinal edge with the at least one sidewall assembly disposed along one of the longitudinal edges of the railway car underframe; the at least one sidewall assembly formed in part from a plurality of side sheets and a plurality of support posts; one end of each support post attached to the one longitudinal edge of the railway car underframe; the side sheets formed from steel; the support posts formed from steel; each support post having a first surface and a second surface; and a plurality of self piercing rivets attaching portions of the side sheets with the first surface of associated support posts.
 10. A railway car having a railway car underframe and at least one sidewall assembly comprising: the railway car underframe having a first longitudinal edge and a second longitudinal edge with the at least one sidewall assembly disposed along one of the longitudinal edges of the railway car underframe; the at least one sidewall assembly formed in part from a plurality of side sheets and a plurality of support posts; one end of the respective support posts disposed along and attached to the one longitudinal edge of the railway car underframe; the side sheets formed from aluminum; the support posts formed from aluminum; each support post having a first surface and a second surface; and a plurality of self piercing rivets attaching portions of the side sheets with the first surface of associated support posts.
 11. A railway car having a railway car underframe and a pair of sidewalls comprising: the first sidewall disposed on a first longitudinal edge of the railway car underframe and the second sidewall disposed on a second longitudinal edge of the railway car underframe; each sidewall formed in part from a plurality of side sheets and a plurality of side stakes; one end of the side stakes disposed along and attached to the respective longitudinal edge of the railway car underframe; the side sheets formed from a first material selected from the group consisting of aluminum and steel; the side stakes formed from materials selected from the group consisting of aluminum and steel; and at least one side stake formed from a material different from the material used to form the other side stakes.
 12. The railway car of claim 11 selected from the group consisting of gondola cars, open hopper cars, closed hopper cars, rotary dump coal cars, box cars and insulated box cars.
 13. The railway car of claim 11 further comprising: each sidewall formed from a plurality of steel side sheets; the side sheets having an exterior surface and an interior surface; respective side stakes attached with the exterior surface of the side sheets; at least one of the side stakes formed from steel; and at least one of the side stakes formed from aluminum.
 14. The railway car of claim 11 further comprising: each sidewall formed from a plurality of aluminum side sheets; the side sheets having an exterior surface and an interior surface; respective side stakes attached with the exterior surface of the side sheets; at least one of the side stakes formed from steel; and at least one of the side stakes formed from aluminum.
 15. The railway car of claim 11 further comprising: at least one of the side stakes having a generally hat-shaped configuration defined in part by a first web and a second web; and the first web having a width greater than the width of the second web.
 16. The railway car of claim 11 further comprising: a plurality of side stakes attached with each side sheet; the side stakes spaced laterally from each other along the length of the associated sidewall; approximately an equal number of the side stakes formed form steel and approximately an equal number of side stakes formed from aluminum; and the steel side stakes and the aluminum side stakes arranged in an alternating pattern extending along each respective sidewall.
 17. The railway car of claim 11 further comprising a plurality of self piercing rivets attaching the side sheets with the associated side stakes.
 18. A method of forming a railway car having a sidewall assembly attached to and extending along a longitudinal edge of an associated railway car underframe comprising; forming the sidewall assembly from a plurality of side sheets having an interior surface and an exterior surface; forming a plurality of support posts from steel based allow material and aluminum based allow material; and determining the optimum number of steel support posts and the optimum number of aluminum support posts to attach to the side sheets to minimize empty weight of the railway car and extend service life of the railway car.
 19. The method of claim 18 further comprising: forming at least one of the support posts with a generally hat-shaped cross section defined in part by a first web and a second web; attaching a first sheet of material with the first web using a plurality of self piercing rivets; and attaching a second side sheet with the first web using a second row of self piercing rivets.
 20. A railway car having a railway car underframe and a car body comprising: the railway car underframe including a center sill and a pair of side sills; the car body including at least one metal sheet disposed adjacent to portions of an associated supporting structure; and a plurality of self piercing rivets attaching the metal sheet with the associated supporting structures.
 21. The railway car of claim 20 selected from the group consisting of gondola cars, open hopper cars, closed hopper cars, rotary dump coal cars, box cars and insulated box cars.
 22. The railway car of claim 20 further comprising: a first sidewall assembly disposed on one of the side sills of the railway car underframe and a second sidewall assembly disposed on the other side sill of the railway car underframe; each sidewall assembly formed from a plurality of aluminum side sheets; at least one support post formed from aluminum and attached with each sidewall assembly; at least one support post formed from steel and attached with each sidewall assembly; and a plurality of self piercing rivets attaching each aluminum side sheet with the associated support posts.
 23. The railway car of claim 20 further comprising: a first sidewall assembly disposed on one of the side sills of the railway car underframe; a second sidewall assembly disposed on the other side sill of the railway car underframe; each sidewall assembly formed from a plurality of steel side sheets; at least one support post formed from aluminum and attached with each sidewall assembly; at least one support post formed from steel and attached with each sidewall assembly; and a plurality of self piercing rivets attaching each steel side sheet with the associated support posts.
 24. The railway car of claim 20 further comprising the supporting structure selected from the group consisting of a support post, an end beam, a side sill, a longitudinal bearer, a longitudinal stringer, a floor support, a carline, and a roof support.
 25. The railway car of claim 20 further comprising the at least one metal sheet selected from the group consisting of an aluminum alloy sheet and a steel sheet.
 26. The railway car of claim 20 further comprising: the first sidewall disposed on the railway car underframe and the second sidewall disposed on the railway car underframe; each sidewall formed in part from a plurality of side sheets and a plurality of side stakes; one end of the side stakes disposed along and attached to a respective longitudinal edge of the railway car underframe; the side sheets formed from materials selected from the group consisting of aluminum and steel; the side stakes formed from materials selected from the group consisting of aluminum and steel; and at least one side stake formed from a material different from the material used to form the other side stakes.
 27. The railway car of claim 20 selected from the group consisting of gondola cars, open hopper cars, closed hopper cars, rotary dump coal cars, box cars and insulated box cars.
 28. A method of forming a railway car having a sidewall assembly attached to and extending along a longitudinal edge of an associated railway car underframe comprising; forming the sidewall assembly from a plurality of side sheets having an interior surface and an exterior surface; forming a plurality of support posts from steel based alloy material and aluminum based allow material; determining the optimum number of steel support posts and the optimum number of aluminum support posts to attach to the side sheets to minimize empty weight of the railway car and extend service life of the railway car; and attaching the side sheets to the support post using self piercing rivets. 